Secret Union
by GAKDragonMCP
Summary: Jade finds herself on the executioner’s block while on a routine trading run for Karrde. Will someone be able to save her in time? There is also a subplot to come, about the firstever Noghri Jedi.


Secret Union

I don't don't own anybody, George Lucas and 20th Century Fox do. Planet of Twilight and the Canon books after it (Crystal Star, specifically) never happened, but this takes place about six or seven years after the Thrawn Trilogy (11 or 12 after ROTJ).

Mara Jade finds herself on the executioner's block while on a routine trading run for Karrde. Will someone be able to save her in time? There is also a sub-plot to come, about the first-ever Noghri Jedi.

The sound system of the cantina blared with lively jizz music. A figure garbed in a dark, military-style uniform watched a particular couple at the bar. A comm device stuck partially out of his right ear.

The redhead sat at the far right side of the bar, chatting happily with the man standing next to her. She tipped back another shot glass of whiskey.

"You said this was your first time to Fokask. How long have you been here in River City?" he said loudly.

"Got in yesterday morning," she replied, equally loud. "Hey, there's a stool open." She pointed to the now free barstool just down the bar. Her companion snatched it and dragged it over to her.

"Ah," he said in relief as he sat down. "Forty minutes is much too long to be standing up. Of course, being the gentleman that I am, I would never think about asking you to relinquish your seat."

"Good," she retorted, "cuz I'd never give it to you." She chuckled.

"And you're the captain of ...?" The end of his sentence trailed off.

"What?" She beckoned to the bartender for a refill.

"What's the name of your ship?"

"The _Jade's Fire_."

"So she's all yours, huh?"

"Almost. This is my first run with her. If I make enough money for my boss on this trip, then I'll own her from the ramp to the cockpit."

"Think you'll be needin' a co-pilot?"

"And a navigator. Or just one, if they're good enough." She grinned at him. Taking a glance at her chrono, she downed the rest of her liquor. "Well, I should head for my room."

"Leaving so soon? I just sat down," he whined.

"I need to get down to the Registrar's Bureau tomorrow and fill out New Account forms, if I want to trade here in the future." She tossed a handful of credits to the bartender. Standing, she smoothed the skirt of her bright yellow dress.

"How about I walk you to your room and bid you sweet dreams?"

She grinned coyly at him over her shoulder as she headed for the door. "You can do a lot more than that, flyboy."

With a beaming smile, he paid for his tab and followed her. Surreptitiously, the uniformed man followed them.

Outside, the couple was giggling as they made their way across the speeder park to her hotel, which was at the far corner of the plaza – fairly close walking distance. The uniformed man spoke into his wrist comlink, "Coop, they're headed for your ten."

The reply the couple never heard, for it went to the device in his ear, was "Copy that, Roj." A few minutes later, "Coop" spoke again. "Yeah, we have a definite code 108. I repeat, we have a code 108."

Roj Tyrridan ambled along, following after the couple. He was there only to observe, to record evidence of the minor infraction and make sure it didn't escalate into a felony. The man was a native, one of their own citizens, and code 108 referred to a law that was meant to protect him from being taken off-planet against his will.

During the days of the Empire, Fokask had had a problem with the slave trade, and when they became a member of the New Republic new laws were written to protect its citizens from off-worlders – all off-worlders. So far, the woman was only walking with the native. If he entered her ship willingly, with no gifts, exchange of services, or coercion from her part, the minor infraction would be filed but no charges would be pressed. It would be logged in the system as a fully legal, fully consented start of employment in an off-world company, then the case would be shut.

But while the woman was still lodged on the planet, if she attempted to give anything to the man – especially after the conversation that had just been recorded in the cantina – they would have definite grounds for a solicitation/slavery felony.

And that was a charge punishable by death.

Roj followed the couple to the front door of the hotel, then stood looking at a kiosk outside the entrance. His partner, Carnius "Coop" Cooper moved from his surveillance position to follow the couple inside. Roj waited five minutes, then entered the lobby. Together, he and Coop converged on the receptionist's desk. They showed the droid their badges, and a visible change went through the robot as its security programming took over. "Yes sirs, how may I be of assistance?"

"Could you direct us to your security center?"

"Certainly, sir. It's through this door to your left, then down the corridor on your right. Security is in the second door on the left."

"Thank you. Coop?"

"It's compiling now, Roj."

Roj nodded and led the way back. At the door to the Security Center, they each took out their badge holders and inserted their ID cards into the slot next to the door. They walked through to the foyer, and waited for Hotel personnel to check their credentials.

The door buzzed, and Coop pulled it open as Roj grabbed their IDs. "Evening folks," Coop began. "I'm Officer Cooper, this is Officer Tyrridan. We're from the Eighth Precinct and we have reason to believe there's a possible code 108 in progress in one of your suites."

"Come on in. I'm Captain Mertaal. We're always happy to help stop the slave trade. Who's the perp?"

"The suite should be registered to a Mara Jade. Home residence: Coruscant." The security officers searched their computer logs for the guest list and came up with the room number. "There she is, suite 317. Let's open a surveillance file."

A holocam view popped up on the computer screen. The young native was sitting comfortably on the couch in the lounge. He had taken his shirt and boots off, and was sipping from a wine glass. A small host of delicacies was laid out on the table in front of him.

As they watched, Mara Jade walked into view. She was carrying a bottle of wine, and she topped off both their glasses. She was wearing a silk robe, and a matching pair of silk pajamas underneath it.

"Here we go," said Captain Mertaal. "Typical ploy – get them drunk and give them the shaft."

"Mm-hmm," Roj mumbled.

"Do you have a sound feed on this?" Coop asked. "We need to get confirmation that she's enticed him with a job."

"Well, let's tweak the settings here." He tapped a few keys, some ash from his cigarillo falling onto the desk. He took the cig from his mouth, held between his first two fingers. Tapping off the excess ash, he put it back in his mouth and pointed to the main monitor. "Here it comes."

"So, how long have you been flying?" Jade asked.

"Oh, about nine years now. In the big ships, I mean."

"Do you have much experience with freighters?"

"Sure. Cargo haulers, too."

"Good, then," Jade remarked as the native took a sip of his wine.

He slid closer to her one the couch. "So what kind of ... benefits can I expect working for you?"

"Well," she smirked, "I'm a woman, and you're a man."

He smiled. "Yes, we are."

"And we can behave like adults about that."

"I know I can."

"And it does get quite lonely in hyperspace." She gave him a mock pout.

"I've heard that." He leaned in closer, as if to kiss her, and the men in the security booth stopped watching. Roj headed upstairs with the other officers.

Once on the third floor, he headed down the corridor to his right. He drew his blaster, made certain it was set for wide stun beam, and set himself in a stationary position in front of the door to suite 17. He clicked on his wrist comlink. "Coop, I'm in position."

"On my way up, Roj."

When Coop arrived on the third floor with the hotel's lawyer, he had in his possession the specialized datacards that would serve as their entry warrants. As Roj, Coop, and some of the others trained their blasters on the door, Captain Mertaal slid his all-access passcard into the slot next on the wall.

The door whooshed open, and the Captain stepped back. The men with their weapons already drawn went in first.

The couple on the couch sprang apart, and when Captain Jade stood up, she had a small blaster already in her hand. A cylindrical, silvery object flew to her hand, and when it spouted a beam of blue light, the police officers tensed.

Captain Mertaal made his way to the front, blaster drawn and set for stun. "Freeze, police!" he commanded.

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Mara had felt no warning from the Force. She turned the hilt of the lightsaber in her hands. She sensed no malicious intent from these men. Instead, she got the impression they were trying to do their jobs, and were protecting her new copilot.

She narrowed her eyes and shut off her lightsaber. She kept it in her hands, though, and demanded, "What's going on here?"

"Mara Jade?"

"Yes?"

What he said next shocked the hell out of her.

"You're under arrest for attempted solicitation for the purposes of acquiring a slave. Give us the weapons."

Dumbly, she surrendered her blaster and other weapons. The officers assured her her lightsaber would be kept safe, and she nodded. They put stun cuffs on her, and she wondered exactly what she was being arrested for. She wasn't trying to get a slave. A copilot, yes. But a slave? Never.

As they escorted her down to the lobby, she thought she saw a flare of light. It wasn't until later that she would find out what it was from.

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A man wearing an old grey flight suit sipped his caf in the breakfast area of his hotel's lobby. It was a smaller hotel, only about 200 rooms, and they had their news screens on the wall above his table.

He listened with half an ear as he ate his Dweezel. But he looked up and paid attention when he heard "Jade arrested."

There was a vid feed showing police and a hotel security team leading Mara Jade out of her suite to a secure speeder. The reporter was saying the Coruscani had been arrested in River City for breaking Fokask's slave laws.

He frowned, tuning in for the entire report.

Apparently, the trader had used the wrong initiative trying hire a new co-pilot. She'd been taken to a jail cell and processed the night before. Now, she was in court, awaiting the verdict of her trial.

The man finished his caf and stuffed the rest of his pastry in his mouth. He hurried upstairs and placed a call to his lawyer.

When the Twi'lek answered the line, he cut to the quick. "Listen, I need you to do some research for me."

"Certainly. What's the subject?"

"I'm on vacation here on Fokask. I just saw a news report that indicated Mara Jade had been arrested for breaking the slave laws."

"You must be joking."

"I kid you not."

"I don't believe it."

"Me neither, which is why I want you to represent her. Find out exactly why she's being charged. Let me know whatever you find out."

"You're certain of this?"

His client only nodded.

"We'll get right on it."

He switched off the com and turned on the vid. Court was just adjourning in Jade's case. He listened somewhat impatiently for the verdict.

He was, quite frankly, stunned when he heard it.

She'd been sentenced to death.

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When the pilot returned that evening from dinner, his lawyer had left a message to call him. He punched the reply button before he even put his bags down.

"Ah, good," the attorney said when he saw his client. "I just called you not too long ago."

"Just got in. What'd you find?"

"Not too good. Their anti-slavery laws are so strict, it's almost too much. The evidence presented was fairly incriminating.

"The ground rules for employing a Fokask native state that the prospective employer cannot provide the applicant with gifts of any kind. This falls under the slavery laws. With me so far?"

He nodded.

"Now, they also have a subset of anti-solicitation laws that falls under the same code. Under these regulations, sex cannot be used either as a form of enticement or as a form of coercion."

"Wait, wait, wait," he interjected. "You mean to tell me Mara Jade was arrested on a prostitution bust!"

"I'm afraid so."

His jaw dropped, then he remembered what he'd heard that morning. "And the punishment is execution?"

"They have a zero-tolerance level for these things."

"Did you find anything? Any kind of loophole at all?"

"I did find one. In six previous cases, the defendant made an appeal of their guilty verdict. In all six, the verdict was overturned in light of the fact that the defendant was engaged to be married. In court, the prisoner testified that he or she viewed the hire as a legitimate start of new employment, and the one-night stand they treated as one last fling as a single person before they entered marriage.

"In these cases, the fiancé was brought to Fokask. The couple was married here. In the very first case where this loophole was exploited, the couple married, left planet, and were divorced about three months later.

"In order to combat this exploitation, the marriage laws were changed. Now, the couple has to stay married for five years. A droid is present for the consummation of their union, and then follows them off-planet. If either spouse has an affair, the parolee is sent back to Fokask and executed. If the marriage proves to be false, or a marriage of convenience, the parolee is sentenced to death."

"So, if Mara was engaged, she'd have a way out?"

"Oh, sure," the lawyer replied. "But you know Mara Jade. Is that sort of occurrence even likely?"

"No, I suppose not." He ran a hand over his beard and mouth and began tugging at his bottom lip with thumb and forefinger.

His lawyer caught the gesture; knew what it meant. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll have to think on it. Stand by on this, will you? Be ready to contact her trial attorney if I think of something."

"You bet, boss."

He cut the connection, and went over to lie on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking.

How could he get his friend out of this?

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Mara Jade sat in her jail cell, meditating. She figured Skywalker'd be proud of her if he could see her now. This was probably the stupidest and most Jedi-like thing she'd ever done. But there was nothing else for her, now. Oh sure, it was a ridiculous crime to be sentenced to death for, but it was her own dumb fault for not researching the laws first.

So here she sat, meditating as Luke had taught her. The Force flowed through her, and she felt somewhat calmed. At least she could face death with her dignity intact.

She opened her eyes, hearing the click of the door lock being disengaged. A guard pointed a blaster at her, ordered her to get up and face the back of the cell. Mara complied, and they cuffed her hands and feet.

They led her to a visitor's room, and before they opened the door she felt a mind reach out to her. It was still shielded, so the thought it left her felt full of echoes: '_Follow my lead_.'

Mara tensed and looked around. Was someone going to stage a prison break for her? She'd be ready for that. Accepting your death and wanting it were two very different things.

She went through the door, and found herself looking at a stranger.

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CHAPTER 2

Her strange visitor wore a vivid sky-blue shirt, custom-made from a Harkin pattern, and rich, dark, jungle green suit pants with combat boots of a matching color. He had dark blond hair, cut short, and a short beard.

There was a large table with four chairs around it in the room. The guards led her to the table and unlocked her wrist cuffs, leaving the chain cuffs between her ankles. Mara rubbed her wrists as the left.

The stranger turned, and Mara looked at him curiously. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask who he was, until she looked into his eyes. Only one man she knew had blue eyes that could look that worried.

Mara gave the Jedi Master in disguise a look of slight consternation as he leaned on the back of a chair. He just gazed at her steadily, and she finally quirked one corner of her mouth upwards in a small smile.

He moved, before she could make a wisecrack, and hugged her. She was a bit startled, then remembered his remark earlier and played along. Her arms went around him and she closed her eyes.

He pulled back slightly, leaving his hands on her shoulders. "You look well," he remarked. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. I'm … I'm ready." For what, she wasn't quite sure.

Luke let his hand travel down her arm to her wrist. Taking her hand, he led her to a seat. He dragged another chair from the table and sat next to her, leaning in close. He placed a kiss to her cheekbone and Mara's eyes got very wide. She wondered what the hell he was doing, when his lips brushed her ear. He whispered, "Found a loophole, tell you later," and she relaxed a little.

He rubbed her back, and she swayed in her seat. "Mmm," she said softly. "That's nice."

"Are they treating you well?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I haven't been ill-treated or anything. I've been meditating, and I'm prepared."

His eyebrows furrowed. "For?"

"For death. I broke the law, Skywalker," she continued off his look. "I was given a fair trial and a fair verdict."

"Still … It's a stupid law."

"I won't argue with that."

"Listen, are you in a cell all by yourself?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded.

"Can I come to you tonight? In your dreams, I mean."

"Can you do that?"

He nodded. "I'd like to have your permission, first."

She smiled at him gratefully.

He smiled softly back.

Mara thought she knew the act Luke was putting on for the cams and the guards. So, she leaned into him and nuzzled his temple. He started, then caught himself at it and chuckled. He moved his hand up Mara's back and massaged her neck.

Her lips found _his_ ear this time, and she traced the outside ridge with her nose. "In case I forget later," she breathed, "thanks for everything, Luke. You've really done a lot for me."

He turned his face towards her and kissed her cheek. "You're welcome."

They sat there for a time, Luke wondering what else he could tell her, and Mara wondering what would come next.

The guards watching them decided they were done talking and entered the visiting room. The two Force-sensitives sat up straight.

Luke tensed, and Mara felt a change go through him. He felt more overtly confidant, and more important, somehow. He felt more familiar, too.

Then she put two and two together. He felt a little bit like Corran Horn and a whole lot like Wedge Antilles and Han Solo. He felt like a cocky pilot and a Galactic Hero. This was the Luke Skywalker she saw right before a street fight.

"Visiting time's over," said one of the guards. "Up you get."

Luke stood first, slowly. Then he looked down at her and offered her his hand. She took it and stood, both of them keeping their eyes on her jailers. She squeezed his hand and took a deep breath.

Then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His arms came around her and tightened. "Come to me tonight," she pleaded softly, her fingers twisting and tugging his shirt between his shoulder blades. "I trust you, Luke."

"You'll be all right," he reassured. "I'll explain everything." They parted, and he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Be good," he cautioned. He slipped out before they put the wrist locks back on, so he wouldn't have to watch them do it.

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That night, Mara lay on her small bunk. Curious as to how Luke was going to pull off this rescue, sleep wouldn't find her. When she closed her eyes, she saw possibilities, plans of what she would do to rescue him in this situation. She felt him reach out to her, and frowned at his amusement.

'_You're supposed to be asleep_,' he scolded.

'_Couldn't. Too excited_,' she replied.

'_Come with me_,' he seemed to say, and pulled gently at her mind in invitation.

Mara allowed herself to be led, into a strange cloud of sensations. She felt weightless, then heave; awake, then drowsing; floating on a sea of nothing, then lying on a solid surface.

When the whirlwind stopped, she woke as if from a light slumber. She opened her eyes to find herself lying on a giant, luxurious bed in the middle of a forest clearing. Flowering vines and creeping rosebushes covered the trees and hung down, lightly shading the bed.

Though it was bright, she was unable to see the sun. Mara sat up, and the covers slipped off to reveal her yellow Synsilk nightgown. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around.

As if he'd heard some silent alarm, Skywalker stepped out of the trees. "Hey there," he said softly.

"Hello, yourself," she replied, smiling at his familiar face.

"Sorry about this," he explained, waving at the bed. "I just thought you'd appreciate something more comfortable than your cell."

"I do, thanks." She slid over to the edge and stood smoothly.

He took her hand and led her to the forest. "There's a place we can sit over here."

It was soft and clean of debris on the forest path, something her bare feet were thankful for. Luke wore the gray flight/training suit she'd seen him in on more than one occasion.

He led her to the bench, tucked away in a burrow under heavy shadows. There were few sounds, but those there were gave vague reminiscences of Yavin's jungle moon.

"So," she began.

"So," he parroted, clasping his hands together and resting his elbows on his knees. "I guess they explained the law to you?"

"At the interview, yeah."

"Did your lawyer tell you there's a loophole?"

"No," she replied, alarmed.

"It's not something to be taken lightly," he cautioned. "You can't back out of it, and you'll be stuck in it for at least five years."

Some of the heated emotion left her face. "What is it?" she asked at last.

"Marriage."

Her eyes bulged, and she looked at the grass under her feet. Something about his behavior clicked in her mind and she tensed, turning towards him. Luke sensed the change and slid smoothly off the bench, landing on his good knee. He propped his other foot out to the side, taking her hands in his and gazing up at her.

"This choice is entirely yours, Mara. I'm not going to try and influence your decision. I do…" she could feel him searching for the right words, "… have affection for you. You're my friend, and I'd hate to see you die for something as petty as this. I'd hate to see you die," he clarified.

"W-why would you even think … How could you think about going through with this?"

"I've always wanted a family, Mara. A wife …" He let the word "children" die in his throat, though it was obvious what went unsaid. "You're funny, you're loyal, stubborn as hell, strong-willed, smart, talented, upstanding – most of the time."

She smiled coyly.

"We can make this work," he continued. "We can compromise. If we do this, of course I'd want you to be happy."

He lapsed into silence, and she was stuck with this huge decision on her hands.

Mara closed her eyes and leaned back against the bench. Death that was most likely overdue … or life, spent with Luke Skywalker for some part of it. He was nice, courteous, to be sure, and good-looking in his own way. She couldn't help but remember the first year they'd known each other.

He'd accepted her vehement hatred for him, believing with that innocence of his that there was hope for her to change her heart. That had earned him a lot of respect from her. Though, his constant nagging for her to complete her training grated at her. That would have to be addressed. Well, that was something.

"What sort of compromises?"

He stood and began pacing. "Well, I can't leave my students. Not just yet. And this time when you visit, you'd be coming as my wife, so I could teach you the really fun stuff." His smirk left little to the imagination … well, a whole lot, really. Mara's imagination when it came to the bedroom was pretty vivid.

"I could help you with your trading runs," he suggested, gesturing with his hand for emphasis. "I've got a good sense for business, and you know I'm a good pilot. I'm good in a pinch, too."

"It _would_ be a good business partnership," she agreed. "And we are good friends. But I don't know if I could just … let you …" He moved to stand in front of her and held out his hands. She took them and stood, saying, "I mean, you'd have to earn your husbandly benefits. I can't just switch-"

He pulled her close and kissed her, effectively silencing her. His lips were soft and moist, gently yielding to pressure. His height was just so, and her chin rubbed against his. He was a very good kisser, using the time to give and take, and pausing to make her more comfortable.

Slowly, her hands come around his shoulders, and she deepened the kiss. Her mouth opened and she flicked her tongue along his upper lip. His lips parted, and her tongue dove in.

Like a sparring match, their muscled organs danced, pushing in, then retreating. Mara moaned soundlessly, breathing heavily through her nose. Luke's arms tightened, his hands pressing flat against her back.

Then his mind reached out to her, and took the kiss to a whole different level.

His gentle probe flicker over her, and it felt like the softest caress – almost like a breeze. She sent one back to him, and felt his entire body shiver.

Reluctantly, he pulled back and broke the kiss, resting his forehead on hers. "That good enough for you?" he asked dryly.

"Hmm?" She'd forgotten what they were talking about.

He grinned and put some space between them. "Do you have an answer for me?" he asked politely.

"Do you promise that we'll compromise? Really compromise?"

"Yes. We'll talk about things together. Honestly talk."

Mara looked at him hard, as if she was searching his face for the answer she was supposed to take.

She knew he wouldn't be happy with just half a wife. He'd want to take advantage of the little perks of marriage. But more than anyone, she knew he wanted a partner. And regardless of the situation or circumstances, he'd chosen her.

It wasn't even her offer to save her life. It was his. He'd made his choice, even knowing the hardships that would follow them the next few years. How could she ignore that sacrifice?

"Yes," she answered finally, opening her eyes. "I'll – I'll marry you."


End file.
